Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Bloodlines
By Richelle Mead
Published: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 421
5 stars

Blood doesn't lie...
Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning...

Opening Thoughts
I first read this book way back in early 2012 when I marathoned the Vampire Academy, and what was out of the Bloodlines series. I then reread it back in December of last year for the release of the Fiery Heart. I decided to pick this book up again last week in order to prepare for the release of Silver Shadows which comes out in about three weeks and I'm so excited I can't even contain it. I just skimmed it last year, so I didn't really remember anything, which was fantabulous because it was like reading it for the first time. There would e things that would happen and I'd be like, oh yeah, I think that this is what happens, and then something completely different would happen. I remember really enjoying it the first time I read it, but this time I absolutely loved it. I think that it was because I know what happens in the following books, and how all of the characters' stories play out, which I know a lot of people don't like, but that I find that a lot of the time it makes the reading experience more enjoyable.

Characters
Sydney is a very different character from Rose, from Vampire Academy. I know that a lot of people were very disappointed with Sydney's character, because she wasn't as strong as Rose was. If you have yet to read this series, you definitely need to not compare Rose to Sydney, because you will be disappointed. Sydney is, at least in this first book, the complete opposite of Rose. She's a lot more respectful of authority, which we all know Rose has issues with. Her skill set lies a lot more within academics, and her intelligence, rather than her athleticism. Her life is so completely controlled by the Alchemists, and I don't think that people really understand that. All of the Alchemists are pretty much brainwashed, and since Sydney is already in trouble for events that occur in the Vampire Academy series, she has to balance on a tightrope to keep everyone convinced that she isn't a "vamp-lover", for fear of being sent to a re-education center, a secretive Alchemist place, where Alchemists who are thought to have become to sympathetic to vampires are sent to see the error of their ways. She's also trying desperately to keep her younger sister, Zoe, out of the Alchemists, and one screw up and Sydney will be sent to re-education and Zoe will replace her. A lot of people call Sydney spineless, and weak, but I see it as her being strong enough to not only protect her own skin, but also her sister. She's also completely oblivious in several social situations, which was a) absolutely hilarious and b) super relatable because guys, that is me. We are so, so similar in so many ways. We're both socially awkward, but we don't have social anxiety, she's very efficient, and she does tasks that are assigned to her as quickly as possible, while still getting everything done that she needs to. She was not be a kick-ass fire, but she's kick-ass in her own way. She's so smart, and she can think on her feet, which can help her out of dangerous situations, without killing anyone who threatens her. 


“You are an exceptional, talented, and brilliant young woman. Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you’re less. Do not ever let anyone make you feel invisible. Do not let anyone—not even a teacher who constantly sends you for coffee—push you around.”


Then there's Adrian. I absolutely loved Adrian in Vampire Academy, not for Rose, I'll always ship Romitri, but I did love him as his own character. His banter with Sydney is so hilarious and there were so many times when I was laughing out loud. Adrian is not the perfect guy, with no issues whatsoever, but he isn't the "damaged" for lack of a better word, kind of guy that we see too often in both Young Adult, and New Adult, but particularly New Adult. He does have his issues, but they aren't overly dramatized (for the most part), which I'm kind of sick of right now. He's dealing with having spirit, and trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol and girls, yet also trying to restrain himself from that, for reatruggling sons that I won't disclose because of spoilers. Adrian is also struggling with getting over Rose, and kind of finding his place in the world. He needs someone to believe in him, and believe that he can be better than what he is now, and for him, that person is Sydney.


“Takes a lot of tries before you hit perfection." He paused to reconsider that. "Well, except for my parents. They got it on the first try."

“My God, Sage. Your eyes. How have I never noticed them?"

That uncomfortable feeling was spreading over me again. "What about them?"

"The color," he breathed. "When you stand in the light. They're amazing... like molten gold. I could paint those..." He reached toward me but then pulled back. "They're beautiful. You're beautiful.” 


Jill and Eddie were such great side characters. Richelle Mead does such a fantastic job developing all of the side characters, while a lot of authors would just let those characters fall to the side. I did find Jill to be slightly annoying and immature at times, but she is only fifteen, and her situation kind of sucks so it didn't really bother me that much. Eddie was one of my favorite characters from Vampire Academy and I loved seeing him develop even more in this book. He's so strong and totally badass, and wonderful, and apparently he has blonde hair which totally caught me by surprise because all through Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, and my many times rereading both these series, I thought that Eddie was a brunette, so I kept having to readjust my mental image of him, which was quite annoying, but that was my own fault, and not Richelle Mead's. 

Plot
The plot is fast-paced and entertaining. There's the perfect blend of light, funny topics, and serious and deeper points, that Richelle Mead does so beautifully. There is a lot less action than in Vampire Academy, but as the series continues, the action increases, though it never does quite reach the levels that Vampire Academy does. There were so many twists and turns that I had forgotten, and I was completely and utterly shocked when I read some of them. And I would just like to make a point that Richelle Mead writes the best cliffhangers. Her books are the kind of books where if you read the last sentence before reading the book then the whole thing is spoiled for you, because she tricks you into thinking that everything is going to wrap up all nice and tidy, and then on the very last sentence, she drops a bomb on you that leaves you gaping. 

Overall, this book was wonderful, and even better than the previous times I had read it. The writing is just as addictive as any of her other books. I would absolutely recommend this to any fans of Vampire Academy, though make sure that you read the Vampire Academy series prior to reading Bloodlines. It's a fantastic book, and even if you were a little bit disappointed with this one, I highly recommend that you continue the series, because it does improve in leaps and bounds as the series goes on.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to comment and subscribe!
Amber

BookTubeAThon TBR

Now, you may have seen a million videos about this, but I'm posting this anyway, because I don't know if you guys knew this or not, but you don't have to be a booktuber to participate.  I'll do daily updates and I'm going to try to do all the reading challenges.

1) Read a book with pictures

Frostbite: The Graphic Novel by Richelle Mead and Illustrated by Emma Viecelli

As you can see, it's a graphic novel so it has pictures in it!  Woot woot!

2)Start and finish a series

Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter

This books are all under 300 pages with fairly large font and margins.  I should be able to fly through them, and I'm excited to do it.

3) A book with red on the cover

Deity by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I'm in the middle of this but ya know, whatever...

4) A book someone else picks out for you

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

My English teacher picked this out for me cause guys, summer reading.

5) A book from the genre you've read the least this year

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I've already started this but I've read pretty much no adult books this year, so I'm counting it anyway.

6) A book to movie adaptation

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johnsen


This book isn't technically a movie yet but Emma Watson's signed on for it so ya know.  But also, Lord of the Flies also has an adaptation so...

I don't know if I'll get to all of these but I'll post daily updates so see ya later.

Thanks for reading! Comment and subscibe!
Amber

Prom Impossible by Laura Pauling

Prom Impossible
By Laura Pauling
Published: May 1, 2014
Publisher: Redpoint Press
Pages: 200
2 stars

1 girl + 1 prom + 3 guys = Prom Impossible!

Cassidy decides her senior year, including prom, will be about Michael Greenwood, the boy destined to be her soul mate. One problem. He hasn’t figured that out yet. 

But certain events meant as innocent pranks—that weren’t completely her fault—introduce her to Zeke, the reformed bad boy. And cutting deals in the boys’ bathroom with Jasper, the hottest guy in school, lands her in a complicated web of half-truths that spirals out of control. 

At the end of the year, she’s dateless the day before the big night but risks a lot more than her pride if she can’t find a way to fix her mistakes. 

PROM IMPOSSIBLE is a modern-day Shakespearean romantic comedy in the world of teens, true love, and life.

Novel provided by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review Opening Thoughts I think that my expectations for this book were way to high, and that there was no way that this book could have possibly met them. This book was meant for a younger audience, than what I am. I think that this book was better suited for middle school or early high school, and that's not really the reading group that I'm in. Characters I found it extremely difficult to summon any sympathy for our main character, Cassidy. We start off the book with Cassidy and her cousin, Jules, as juniors, setting up smoke bombs at prom, and then Cassidy spends the rest of the book attempting to ensure that she will have the perfect prom, which in my eyes, is incredibly selfish, because why should she get to have the perfect prom when she ruined it for all of the seniors the year before. This is just one example of Cassidy being selfish and annoying, but that trait does occur constantly throughout the book, this just happens to be the one that stood out the most in my mind. The guys in this book, of which there are three, seemed underdeveloped and kind of stupid. I suppose that stupid isn't really the best word to describe them, but they definitely seemed like their thought processes were kind of off, or at least nowhere close to what mine is. It was so obvious to me from the very beginning of the book that Zeke liked Cassidy. I don't really understand why Cassidy was so totally blind to it. And then, she ignores him, and is really quite mean to him pretty much the entire book, yet that doesn't affect his feelings to her at all. And then there's Michael of course, the boy that Cassidy is convinced is her soul mate. It made no sense to me whatsoever why Cassidy felt that Michael was her soul mate, because they don't really know each other at all, and we don't really learn anything about him in the book. I found it to be pretty annoying that every time Michael would flirt with a girl, Cassidy would get all jealous and mean, and I'm like, c'mon girl, I'm pretty sure he barely knows you exist. And then when she totally ruined Jasper's paper, and not just one of them, multiple paper, he was just like, naw girl, it's all good. That caused much annoyance for me. Plot This plot is so simple, I feel that it doesn't even need much of a review. It's very simplistic, just about a girl and her efforts to have a perfect prom. The writing is also very simple, and it almost felt as if it were meant for a younger audience than what the book is actually targeted towards. Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book that much. It wasn't horrid, but it wasn't god either, it was just okay. I'd recommend it to people who really enjoy prom/teenage drama stories, but if you're looking for a deep book, or a good romance, than this is definitely not the book for you.

Going Down in Flames Blog Tour

Going Down in Flames by Chris Cannon
Release Date: 06/30/14
Entangled Teen


Summary from Goodreads:
If her love life is going down in flames, she might as well spark a revolution. Finding out on your sixteenth birthday you’re a shape-shifting dragon is tough to swallow. Being hauled off to an elite boarding school is enough to choke on. Since Bryn is the only crossbreed at the Institute for Excellence, all eyes are on her, but it’s a particular black dragon, Zavien, who catches her attention. Zavien is tired of the Council’s rules. Segregated clans, being told who to love, and close-minded leaders make freedom of choice almost impossible. The new girl with the striped hair is a breath of fresh air, and with Bryn’s help, they may be able to change the rules. At the Institute, old grudges, new crushes, and death threats are all part of a normal day for Bryn. She’ll need to learn to control her dragon powers if she wants to make it through her first year at school. But even focusing on staying alive is difficult when you’re falling for someone you can't have.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18363243-going-down-in-flames?ac=1


Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/Going-Down-Flames-Novel-Entangled-ebook/dp/B00KP8AGRE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403755163&sr=8-1&keywords=going+down+in+flames
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-down-in-flames-chris-cannon/1119641086?ean=9781622665303
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/going-down-in-flames-a-going-down-in-flames-novel

Zavien stood behind a table labeled Wilderness and Survival Training. He gestured with enthusiasm as he spoke to a group of dragons that included several Blues. Bryn moved closer to eavesdrop.
“Camping is a wonderful adventure. We teach you how to survive in the wild. You’ll learn to catch fish, clean them with your own hands, and cook them over an open flame. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.”
Zavien grabbed a twelve-inch, serrated knife from the holster on his belt. “Let me explain the proper way to gut a fish.”
The Blue dragons turned away with expressions of horror. Bryn strolled into his line of sight. “Are you trying to appear criminally insane?”
Zavien twirled the knife in his hand. “I’ve no idea what you mean.”
“Those are new.” She pointed at the lip rings he sported.
Reaching into his mouth, he pulled out several magnets. “I thought they were a nice touch.” He made a yuck face. “The magnets taste terrible.”
Ivy sidled closer and cleared her throat.
Bryn took the hint. “Zavien, this is Ivy and Clint. We met on the tour.”
Zavien’s lopsided grin made an appearance. “Nice to meet you. Any friend of Bryn’s is a friend of mine.”
He assumed a lot.
Ivy smiled. “We thought we’d adopt her. She has good hair. All she needs is a few tattoos.”
“The filthy mongrel needs dog tags,” drifted out of a group of students passing by. Cruel laughter followed.
Fists clenched, Bryn glared at the students laughing at her expense. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t set their hair on fire.”
“You don’t want detention your first day here.” Zavien returned the knife to his holster. “I assume you’ll all join my group.” He passed out application forms.
Hands shaking, Bryn reached for a pen. Zavien placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze.
That helped, a little. “What other group will cause me the least amount of pain?”
“My friend, Nola, runs the theater and stagecraft groups. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
She followed him over to a table with a large, colorful banner that proclaimed, “Theater students are more interesting than normal students.”
Sitting on the table was a woman who resembled a dark- haired Barbie doll.
Clint stepped forward. “I’ve always been interested in the theater.”
“Really?” Nola said. “What’s your favorite part?” “The beautiful women.” Clint winked. Nola chuckled and pointed at Zavien. “Did you teach him that line?”
“I wish.” Zavien clapped Clint on the shoulder. “That was good.”
Clint puffed out his chest with pride. “Thanks, I try.”
A tingling sensation crept up Bryn’s scalp. What now? After scanning the sidewalk, she located a group of older students staring at her. She reined in the urge to flip them off. Instead, she took a membership form for the stagecraft department and filled it out.
Ivy passed her another piece of paper. “Sign up for the theater department, too.”
“No, thanks. I’m already onstage.”
“She’s right.” Zavien moved to stand between her and the group of students. “She doesn’t need to draw more attention.”
Nola checked her watch. “It’s time to close up shop.” She collected her papers and pens and placed them in a floral fabric bag. “Why don’t I take you on a tour of the theater?”
“You three go ahead.” Zavien placed his hand on Bryn’s arm. “We’ll catch up with you.”
Clint, Ivy, and Nola walked off down the path.
“Come help me pack my stuff.” Zavien headed toward his Wilderness and Survival Training booth.
When they reached his table, she helped him collect his papers. “Is this where I get my secret decoder ring so we can pass messages back and forth?”
“No,” Zavien said. “This is where I ask why you approached Jaxon Westgate.”
His expression wasn’t angry, but his tone of voice was.
“I didn’t know who he was. He was next to me in line, and I thought it would be nice to get to know
some people. I had no idea he was Ferrin’s son.” Her stomach rolled as she remembered the encounter.
“You didn’t know who he was?”
“No.” The note of disbelief in his voice ticked her off. “You don’t believe me?”
“Sorry. It seemed odd.”
“Welcome to my life. Odd is an understatement.”


About the Author

I love reading and writing snarky, kick-butt characters who take on the world and win.
My truths: You can never have too many books, shoes, or purses.
Coffee is the Elixir of Life.

There should be a National Nerf Bat Day where you are allowed to whack annoying people upside the head.

Author Links: http://chriscannonauthor.com/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/802893.Chris_Cannon https://twitter.com/ccannonauthor https://www.facebook.com/chris.cannonwrites

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Blog Tour Organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Pure
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published: April 3, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 329
Book 2 in the Covenant series
5 stars
 There is need. And then there is Fate. Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's other half is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her. When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon--and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude--or killing her. When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Opening Thoughts
I first read this book ages ago, way back in April of 2012.  I read Half-Blood, book 1 in this series in late 2011, and absolutely loved it.  I distinctly remember going to the bookstore as soon as this came out and them not having it, so I had to go and order it online.  I read it as soon as it came in, and obviously, because it is written by Jennifer L. Armentrout and she can do no wrong, it was amazing.  I haven't reread it since then, so here we are, almost two and a half years later, me reading it, remembering almost nothing, and it is just as amazing as it was then.

Characters
Alex is so kick-ass.  I think that I prefer her to Katy from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series (containing Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Origin, and Opposition).  She's just a character that I can relate to better, though don't get me wrong, I definitely love Katy.  Alex is so hysterical, still very reminiscent of Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy, but they do have their differences and I can appreciate that.  She has the best dialogue and witty one-liners and there were so many points where there would be a really intense or serious scene and I would be all tense and then Alex would crack a joke, or say something absolutely ludicrous and I would just die laughing.  Of course, she's also incredibly kick-ass and I want to be her, even though pretty much every craptastic thing possible happens to her. 

“Aw, did you just fall?"
"No." I rolled onto my back, wincing. "I attacked the floor.”

I was a little iffy about Seth at the end of the first book, but after reading this book, I don't know how anyone could help but love him.  He's hilarious, and really an amazing character overall.  He's caring and sweet, and though there are most definitely times when he's a complete and total douche, you always know that underneath all of that douchiness, he really does care for Alex deeply.  I can definitely see why people would ship them, I mean, even I was swooning at this.

 “You know what?” His breath was warm against my cheek. “There are a lot of stupid things to do, but I really want to do the stupidest thing possible.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to kiss you.” 

And then there's Aiden.  Oh, how I love Aiden.  After reading this book, I was absolutely, positively, most definitely Team Aiden, though I won't tell you how that may or may not have changed as I continued on with the series.  Aiden gives me shivers, and makes me swoon and my only complaint is that there wasn't enough of him.  I want to jump into Deity as soon as possible and just suck up all of the amazingness that is Aiden St. Delphi.  The tension between him and Alex was heart-breaking, because I want them to be together so badly, but I know that they can't.  Jennifer L. Armentrout never fails to craft the perfect book boyfriend for fangirls everywhere.  It's like she has some kind of direct hotline into our brains and she pulls out all of the little bits and pieces that we love, and creates the perfect human, though I suppose a lot of them aren't human.  Oh well, I know that you know what I mean.  He cares so much for Alex, and he puts himself through so much in order to do the right thing, because he knows that even though it might hurt Alex right now, in the long run it will be best for her, even though he wouldn't have any consequences on his part.  He had beautiful, heart-breaking lines that had me both drooling and tearing up at the same time.  

“Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve wanted to break every rule.” Aiden turned away, the muscles in his neck tensing. He sighed. “You’ll become the centre of someone’s world one day. And he’ll be the luckiest son of a bitch on this earth.” 

 “No one is like you, Alex."
I grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is." He nudged me again, and my grin gew into another ludicrous smile- the kind Caleb gave Olivia when they weren't tearing each other's heads off. "You're incredibly intelligent, Alex. Funny and..."
"Pretty?"
"No, not pretty."
"Cute?"
"No."
I frowned. "Well, then."
Aiden's laugh sent shivers through me. "I was going to say 'stunning.' You're stunningly beautiful.” 

Plot

The plot in this book is a million times better than the first book, and that's saying a lot, because the plot in Half-Blood was amazing.  I was on the edge of my seat, despite having already read the book and having a vague memory of where the story was going.  There were so many details that I had forgotten, both big and little, and it was wonderful to get to experience them all of again, as if for the first time.  There are tons of twists and turns, and the plot is so fast-paced that they keep getting thrown at you, but not so quickly that you can't keep up.  It's filled with action scenes, with a decent amount of swoon-worthy moments for the romantic at heart.  All of the twists are brilliant, and my reactions were just as violent as they were during my first time, which is absolutely a great thing.  I want to keep rediscovering everything about the daimons, because I think that they are so interesting.

Overall, Pure is even more compelling and utterly fantastic than its predecessor, Half-Blood, and I'd absolutely recommend this series to anyone, young or old, historical fiction fans or erotica fans.  It's chock-full of hilarious moments, as well as more serious subjects and I can't wait to continue rereading this series.  I plan on moving onto the sequel, Deity, within the next week or so, and I plan on having a full review of that up on the blog as soon as that is finished.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to comment and subscribe!

Amber

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss
By Stephanie Perkins
Published on August 4, 2011
Published by Speak
372 Pages 
Book one in Anna and the French Kiss series 
5 Stars


Can Anna find love in the City of Light?
Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she's waiting for?


Opening Thoughts 

I could say I picked up this book a little scared. I wanted it to be a good book, but I did not want a cliche romance novel. I really hate to say it now but that is what I thought I was picking up. The second thought I had was everyone was going to be thinking I'm reading porn. I never really read it in public but I did have one run in with my Step-Mom. She thought the title was The Art of French Kissing. I never laughed so hard in my life. I showed her the title and explained that she was attending a French boarding school. Then we both started laughing. So if you want to read this, I would suggest putting a sticky note on the front saying, "She is at a boarding school IN FRANCE."

Characters  

I read a lot of reviews about how everyone fell head over heels in love with St. Clair. For me I loved him but I did not fall head over heels in love with him. I liked his personality and everything but I never really clicked that much with him. Anna was a different story, I really like Anna. I would have loved to be her friend. I could relate to her with her friendship troubles because I had a huge mess up with one of my guy friends I liked and screwed up everything. I was envious when she fixed her relationship with St, Clair. I loved Josh as much St. Clair. He was like an Alec to me (Alec Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments). I love it when authors put in that character just at the right time to make you go ugggggh. I always have a strange attraction to these kinds of characters. I don't know what it is about their bad timing but I find them desirable. I almost cried when I found out that Bridge was dating Toph. I personally went up to Amber after that scene and said I would never steal her somewhat boyfriend if she goes off to a French boarding school. She said the same to me, like I'll ever get a boyfriend. Now Amanda was one of the cliche characters that I did not want in the book. She was your classic, rumor spreading mean girl.  Even though she was not the main antagonist, it bugged me to have the classic, slutty, lying, mean girl. Yes, now that I think about it, she did fit in but if there was another way she could have defended Mer I think it would have been better. Now Ellie, St. Clair's girlfriend, came off as kind of a slut to me.  I didn't really seem like she cared. When she showed up in a slutty nurse costume I burst out laughing.

Plot 
  
I didn't have that much of a problem with the plot. It was beautiful. I did not get the cliche plot line I expected. There was one cliche moment when she punches Amanda and gets in trouble. I kind of saw that coming with Amanda's whole character. We all knew something was going to happen between them. 

I did not get the cliche book I expected. It was really heart warming and romantic. I really can not wait to read Lola and the Boy Next Door. This book deserved its five stars.


Hope you keep reading,
Grace

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn
By Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Published: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 358
Book 1 in the Burn for Burn series
4 stars

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds. 

But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong. 

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate. 

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

Opening Thoughts
From a logical standpoint, I shouldn't like this book. There is pretty much nothing in this book that I should like. Yet, I would have completely devoured it in one sitting had I not had a million review copies that I needed to get through. I loved this book so much. So, so much. This was my first Jenny Han book, not counting To All The Boys I've Loved Before, which I only read part of, and I have to say that I'm very impressed. I was skeptical going into it because I read the extended excerpt of To All The Boys I've Loved Before on Pulse It and I wasn't a huge fan of it, but this book was bounds and leaps better than that.

Characters
This book is written from the point of view of three different girls, Kat, Lillia, and Mary, which I was very worried about because I've had quite a few issues recently with not being able to distinguish between the voices with different POV's but this book did an amazing job of it. Each of the girls were very different and I really liked all of them.
Kat is definitely has the most distinct voice, while Mary and Lillia are more similar to each other. She's tough, and a bit blunt and profane, and yes, she can be a complete bitch at times, but she isn't a bitch just for the sake of being a bitch, she has good reasons that you learn as you keep reading and find out about her back story. She's a genuine character and she can actually think for herself, she doesn't act the way she does in order to maintain her image. She is the ringleader of the three, she keeps everyone on track and comes up with the majority of the ideas for enacting revenge on the people that have wronged them.
I was a little bit iffy on Mary for most of the book. Even though we read from her point of view every three chapters but I felt like we didn't really know that much about her. However, once we found out her history with Reeve, and the primary reason that she wanted revenge on him, I was completely sold on her character. Her back story was the most interesting to me, though the most horrible as well, and she is the character that I'm most interested in reading about in the sequel, Fire with Fire. She's very shy, and quiet, and it took her a lot of effort to be able to walk around the school with her head held high, which makes sense considering her childhood, even though now she's very pretty. Her reaction to Reeve the first time she saw him, that wanting him to notice her and see how much she had changed, yet also not wanting him to notice her at all. It was a naive hope, yet realistic.
I think that at this point in time, having only read the first book, Lillia is my least favorite of the three girls, just because I thought that her back story was the least interesting, which was what drew me to Mary, and I had the hardest time connecting to her character, which was what drew me to both Kat and Mary, though mostly Kat. Nonetheless, I still really, really liked her. She kind of has that stereotypical girl has a seemingly perfect life but it's actually horrible and she secretly hates herself story line going on, but not at all to the extent that most books take it, so if that would turn you off,there's no need to worry. She does have a lot going on despite having a lot of money and being a part of the popular crowd. She is pretty much a mother to her younger sister, Nadia, she feels very responsible for her, and Nadia ends up being the reason that Lillia decides to get revenge on the person that she does. Something really horrible also happens to her, and though it doesn't play too big a part in this first book, it is something that happens and that she has trouble dealing with. I do think that this may come into play more in the second book though.
All of the "mean kids" or assholes or whatever you want to call them had a surprising amount of depth. I mean don't get me wrong, there are times when they're such stereotypical douchebags that I couldn't help but cringe, but they do have back stories that kind of help explain why they act that they do and I really appreciated that Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian put that into this book.

Plot
The plot was super fast-paced and absolutely addictive. There was always something happening and I couldn't put it down. I don't really want to say too much about the plot, because I feel that this is definitely one of those books that it's best to go into not knowing a whole lot. I'd say that all that you want to know about this book is that it's about three girls who are very different from each other, come together to get revenge on the people who have wronged them. Essentially an epic tale of hell hath no fury, which I loved. I'm very interested in seeing how the kind of paranormal aspect the showed up pretty randomly at the end plays out. It was definitely surprising for me, I wasn't expecting it all, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure that I like it, but I suppose that it will be delved more into during the second book.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone. Even if you're a little skeptical, as I was, still pick it up. It's addicting and an incredibly fast read. When I had time to read it, I just flew through it. And if this sounds like something you think that you would enjoy, then I must urge you to pick it up because I can almost guarantee that you will love it.